Distributor, in particular for shortlength food-paste products



axim Sept. 22, 1959 A. MARCHETTI DISTRIBUTOR, IN PARTICULAR FOR SHORT-LENGTH FOOD-PASTE PRODUCTS Filed March 12, 1957 2. Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor:

.nuawro mk fi Sept. 22, 1959 MARCHETT] 2,905,311

I DISTRIBUTOR, IN PARTICULAR F OR SHORT-LENGTH FQQD-PASTE PRODUCTS Filed March 12, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor DISTRIBUTOR, IN PARTICULAR FOR SHORT- LENGTH FOOD-PASTE PRODUCTS Augusto Marchetti, Milan, Italy, assignor to Gebrueder Buehler, Uzwil, Switzerland, a firm of Switzerland Application March 12, 1957, Serial No. 645,439

Claims priority, application Switzerland April 7,1956

'3 Claims. (Cl. 198112) In continuous driers for short-length goods, in particular for short food-paste products, the goods travel in the drier housing on continuous conveyers such as belts of relatively large width. The goods have to be evenly distributed or spread across the width of these conveyer belts.

Distributors of this type which have a swinging or traversing motion, are known and comprise a relatively complicated drive mechanism. Also known is the arrangement of a drive for the swinging movement and of a separate drive for a conveyer on the distributor. My present invention discloses means which avoid these disadvantages of known distributors.

The invention thus relates to an improved distributor, in particular for short-length food-paste products, comprising a support for a continuous conveyer, which is pivotable to and fro about a vertical axis. The improvement in this distributor is defined by the provision of a single motor for driving said support and conveyer, which motor is fixed to the support. The invention also discloses a convenient gearing for the swinging movement and for driving the conveyer on the distributor.

One form of the present invention is shown, by way of example, in the drawings, in which Fig. l is part elevational and part sectional view of the novel distributor, the section being taken on line l-I of Fig. 2, as seen in the direction of arrows;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the distributor shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on line III-III of Fig. 2, as seen in the direction of arrows; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of Fig. 1 with certain elements partly broken away.

On a support 1 (Figs. 1 and 2) is secured a motor 2 which drives a worm gearing 3 also mounted on support 1. Gearing 3 is pivoted on pins 4 to a frame 5 which in turn is fixed to the drier. Support 1 thus can swing to and fro about a vertical axis 6. In gearing 3, worm 8 drives a worm wheel 9 which in turn drives a hollow shaft 10 mounted in the worm-gear housing 11, which shaft moves together with support 1 and its axis intersects the vertical axis 6. Shaft 14 on each side of the point of intersection of said axes carries a loosely mounted gear 13 and 14 respectively, meshing with respective gear segments 15 and 16 which latter are fixed to stationary frame 5.

For the purpose of alternatively coupling one or the other of the gears 13, 14 to horizontal shaft 10, a control member rod 18 is provided which is axially movable in shaft 10 and rotated by the latter via a cross-pin 19. Rod 18 on its ends carries clutch half-portions 21 and 22 which are engageable with corresponding clutch halfportions 23, 24 on the gears 13, 14. The spacing between the portions 21, 22 is greater than that between the portions 23, 24. Dogs 25, 26 are secured to frame 5 for axially moving rod 18. A locking device 27 secures rod 18 in its axial position when disengaged from the dogs 2,905,311 Patented Sept. 22, 1959 25, 26. The conveyer is formed as a shaking chute 29 mounted on links 31, 32 on support 1, and this arrangement has the advantage that the goods being conveyed are loosened. To the shaft of worm 8 is secured a disc 33 which drives an eccentric friction Wheel 35 mounted on a lever 36. The latter pushes the shaking chute 29 which is withdrawn by a retaining spring 37. Under the latters action, friction wheel 35 is pressed against disc 33 so that when wheel 35 rotates, lever 36 is given a swinging movement.

Motor 2 drives shaft 10 in the sense of arrow 39, and gear 13 (Fig. 2) through clutch 21, 23 is connected to control rod 18 and rotates with shaft 10. Support 1 then moves in the direction of arrow 4-1. At the end of the stroke, control rod 18 is axially moved by dog 26 whereby gear 13 is uncoupled and gear 14 is driven through clutch 22, 24. Support 1 then swings in the other direction.

The goods drop from a hopper 42 on chute 29 and are thrown off onto an equalizing sheet 43 which distributes them on the conveyer belt 44 of the drier. Sheet 43 is necessary because a dead time arises at the end of the stroke and the end of chute 29 is moving on a circular are so that without such sheet the depth of the goods would be greater on the sides of belt 44 than in the center thereof.

I claim:

1. In a distributor, in particular for short-length foodpaste products, a support swingable about a vertical axis; a conveyer articulately connected to and swingable with said support; a motor rigidly attached to said support; means for causing swinging movements of the support about said axis including a pair of stationary gear segments symmetrically disposed with respect to said axis, a substantially horizontal shaft rotatably mounted in said support, driven by said motor and intersecting said axis, a gear loosely mounted at each end of said shaft and meshing with the respective one of said segments, and means for alternately coupling the gears with said shaft including a coupling rod coaxial with and rotatable with and axially displaceable relative to said shaft, coacting clutch members connected with said gears and with said rod for alternately connecting the gears with said shaft upon axial displacements of said rod, and means connected with said segments for axially moving the rod with respect to said shaft in alternating directions at the end of each consecutive swinging movement of the support about said axis; and an operative connection between said motor and said conveyer for simultaneously imparting to the latter a movement relative to said support.

2. In a distributor, in particular for short-length foodpaste products, a support swingable about a vertical axis; a motor rigidly attached to said support; a shaking chute; lever means articulately connected with said support and with said chute; an eccentric friction wheel rotatably supported by said lever means; a worm driven by said motor; a driving disc fixed to said worm for rotating said wheel whereby to cause swinging movements of said chute with respect to said support; stationary means for causing swinging movements of the support about said axis; and an operative connection between said stationary means and said motor including a substantially horizontal shaft rotatably mounted in said support and intersecting said axis, a worm wheel fixed to said shaft and meshing with said worm whereby the shaft and the disc are simultaneously rotatable by said worm, and means at the respective extremities of said shaft engaging with said stationary means in such manner that the support is swung to and fro about said axis when the shaft is driven by said motor.

3. In a distributor, in particular for short-length foodpaste products, a support swingable about a vertical axis; a conveyer articulately connected to and swingable with said support; means for swinging said conveyer and said support comprising a motor rigidly attached to said support, stationary means including a pair of gear segments, a unitary shaft connected with said support, driven by said motor and intersecting said axis, gear means rotatably mounted on the ends of said shaft and meshing with said segments, and clutch means for alternately connecting one of said gear means for rotation With said shaft for causing swinging movements of the support about said axis; and means driven by said motor and operatively connected with said conveyer for simultaneously imparting to the latter a second movement relative to said support.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 783,907 Stevens Feb. 28, 1905 1,254,203 Caley Jan. 22, ,1918 1,953,221 Good Apr. 3, 1934 2,325,715 Strain Aug. 3, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS 188,134 Germany Sept. 16, 1907 

